Finished project

While decorating for fall this time I wanted something different for my dining room table, I love this table! It is not used except for holiday meals so I can dress it out knowing I won't have to move things off of it to make room for meals. Hubby built it for me several years ago, it is 9ft long so I have lots of room to play.

 

 

Well this year I saw my inspiration on pintrest and knew I had to have this box! So with picture in hand hubby and I started making plans...it was a one day project and easy to do and I just had to share it with you...here's what we did:

I decided I wanted my box 6 1/2 feet long and rustic, so we got three cedar plank fence boards at Home Depot. It is rough on the outside and three boards are plenty to do the sides bottom and ends, cost....$12.00!  After cutting to length I had hubby put an angle (35 degree) on the sides and bottom but you could make just a box and it will work fine.

 

add the end pieces and choose your stain, we used pecan because the board soaks it up and appears darker than most.

 

Mike sprayed mine because to him that is easier but a brush works just as well, no need to wipe it off just let it dry...

 

Now the fun part...DECORATE!! I used a garland for my base then filled in around it but you could use anything you like. I would suggest that you have something that you can use to "lift"  your items so they will be varying heights to add more interest...so here is my finished project..what do you think? Did we pull it off? (see why I love pintrest...there are so many wonderful ideas that you can make your own) I can hardly wait to use it for other seasons, won't it be cute with Christmas greenery and Santas or what about tulips and Easter eggs...oh the possibilities!!!

 

Keep creating and see you soon!

 Dana

 

Labor Day weekend steeped in tradition

Labor Day weekend has always been a special time in my life. Growing up my Dad and all my guy cousins, uncles etc always went hunting on "opening day" which is the first day of September and Labor Day weekend.

 My parents worked in the school system and we didn't start school until after Labor Day so mother and I were always at home while the hunters were off doing their thing....and with September in West Texas came fall weather, football, school, new clothes and DECORATING the house for the season. My mom was a big decorator and this was one of her favorite times to "fluff" for in fact her very favorite holiday I found out years later was Halloween!

 I have carried on this tradition throughout my married life too probably because I married a West Texas boy who is a hunter!! and from there grew up a South Texas son who is an even bigger hunter...so as the men waved good bye this weekend to go hunting and bonding and out doing each other I decorated my house!

I got most of it done (why is it that you always feel that there is one more box somewhere??) I have not dressed my dining room table yet because I have a project for hubby when he gets back and I will share it with you too, but until then here is what I got done this afternoon...would love to see pictures of your decorating...will you share with us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/HomespunCottage1  we would love to see what you have created. You will recognize lots of my things from what we carried in the shop I love playing and getting them out and this year was bitter sweet for sure.

 

Here is the mantle in the game room, kitchen table and a pie safe in the entry way through the back door...I love my canfolk doll and  hand made sunflowers!

 

This is another arrangement that I love, I have had these pilgrims since I bought the store in 2000! Hubby things they are so sad looking.. to me they are just perfect prim!! And don't forget your porch and outside, these jacks welcome our family and guest with a smile!

 

Check back later in the week to see if hubby and I get my "project" done for the dining room table, you mights just want to tackle one too!!

WOW August 31st where has the time gone?

Can you believe it the summer is almost over and fall is just around the corner! What have you done with your summer? Here is a snap shot of what we have done:
We met all the kids at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort in San Antonio for a short weekend. If you have never been I highly recommend it! The lazy river is a wonderful relaxing time and the whole area is geared around kids and family. We had movie night, smores , games, bike riding and a great kid friendly buffet. We will definitely go back sometime.

Our next big adventure was meeting friends for a day at Schlitterbaun and then spending the night in San Antonio and enjoying the River walk. I have to admit I have lived in Austin 35+ years and had never seen the riverwalk!! I am living large now that we have extra time, don't you think??

But I will have to admit the largest and most time consuming project of  the summer was a new pool in the back yard! and we LOVE it!! We have enjoyed going the the Y so much this year and the pool is one of Mike's favorite things, me not so much...I didn't like the dressing, undressing, carrying wet clothes home etc...so we just decided to bring the pool experience home and it was one of the best things we have done for ourselves so far!! We did an above the ground version not only because of price difference but for the ease, then we tackled the deck. We spent three weeks in the 100+ degree weather building our dream deck including not only a place to eat but a special deck for a slide!! Mike made these planters and tables for me:

 Aren't they cute?? For the planters we took a log that was hollow, made a bottom for it to help keep the dirt from washing out, filled them with dirt and planted. We soon discovered they were going to be hard to water so we added a pvc pipe with holes drilled in it along side the plants so that we could water deep and not erode the dirt, wala irrigation system, so far so good and everyone that sees them love them and so do I!!


 Here is the table we made, much the same way, with a log and a top attached makes a perfect place to set a drink without the worry of anything getting messed up! We have really enjoyed it all this summer and hope to be able to do so for years to come....in the neighborhood?? come on by we would love to have you!  That about raps up our summer, what about yours? Have you done anything adventurous or exciting?

Next on the agenda is getting the house decorated for fall, but that is another post, coming soon. I plan to do that this weekend and will share pictures, would love to see yours too!! Till then....have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!!

The Secret is Out!!

Okay the secret is out and if you are reading this you probably have already realized I am NOT a good blogger!! I could never do this to make money as so many are doing now days....so I have admitted it...that's my story and I am sticking to it...BUT...I do enjoy having a place to come and "chat" now and again so here I am....I would love to hear what YOU have been up to this summer, here is my latest adventure:

After I got all my organizing and rearranging done to my satisfaction I decided I needed to relearn to can!! We used to do this all the time when the kids were little as a summer project and I realized I missed doing it, besides I now have an EMPTY shelf in the laundry cupboard that would store canned things perfectly...SOOOOO last week we took a day trip to Fredricksburg Texas to get some of their famous peaches and tomatoes and we Scored!!
I got 1/2 bushel of peaches and enough tomatoes (over riped and CHEAP!) to make 2 gallons of salsa and spaghetti sauce! SEE!!!

We are having our first sampling of it tonight...this is a family recipe that Mike's uncle Sam never wanted to share for years but finally did and it is so
easy to make....promise that will come first of next week AND the secret to putting up peaches that the grower shared with me...until then...have a good weekend and a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY with your family!!

Happy Mother's Day

        Happy Mother's Day!!

I  hope your day is very special! If your Mom is still alive give her a big hug and thank you for all that she has meant to you. If you are lucky enough to have your kids close by cherish the time with them and let them know how proud you are of them. If you have lost your mom or don't have children of your own look around and find someone that needs a friendly phone call or visit that might be feeling lonesome on this day. Hallmark has given us this day but we can make it a blessing to those around so ENJOY!!

An important reminder for Mother's Day

As you are doing your Mother's Day shopping please remember the importance of supporting your locally owned small business, not only for your gifts but for flowers, and dinners out...any favorite places out there you want to share?

Our trip to the Country Living Fair

If you remember I told you that we had plans to go to the Country Living Fair this weekend and we did! My friend Pam and I headed out early Friday morning arriving just a little before they opened and took it all in. I don't think we left a stone unturned or a booth unvisited. It was fun,what I enjoyed the most was running into lots of old customers and visiting with them and seeing what treasures they found....I found a few myself too! I enjoyed the fair but really think that our fall and spring trek to Round Top and Wherrington just as good if not better. One thing that amazed me was how far some of the shoppers had traveled! We visited with one lady that was from Utah and had flown in just for this show!  I was surprised at the number of vendors, really thought there would be more but there were some truly wonderful hand made crafts which I am drawn too...being in retail for so long I am jaded by the "market products" that I saw during my market visits so I zero in on the handmades and antiques which there were plenty to see and admire. The one thing I would have changed was the availability of food and drinks, we stood in line for over an hour for lunch because they only had one place serving food which to us with a crowd like they were expecting should have been better planned but other than that it was a fun day.

Another highlight of our trip was getting to meet K.R. Wood, he was performing in the area of the cafeteria and a delight to see and hear. One of our long time customers and friend Karen Jellison and he travel around and share his talents and love of Texas History. He has an original chuck wagon and all the "fixins" for an original campfire experience complete with cowboy music and folk lore. What a great resource for teachers, scout groups and special occasions! They do this full time and do a great job! You can find more information HERE.  Take a look and see if you could use this great talent in some way, you won't be disappointed.